Transmission-gearing.



Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

INVENTOR.

H15 ATTORNEY IN FACT.

G. WESTINGHOUSE.

TRANSMISSION GEARING. APPLICATION FILED JUNB18,1910. RENEWED JULY23,1913.

G. WESTINGHOUSE.

TRANSMISSION GEARING. APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 18, 1910. RENEWED JULY 23, 1913. 1,0 ,3m, Patented Feb. 24, 1914,.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7V illw WITNESSES: INVENTOR w QM. I BY Q15 ATTORNEY IN FACT.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE," OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTINGHOUSE- GEAR AND DYNAMOMETER COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF- PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

TRANSMISSION-GEARING.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Application filed June 18, 1910, Serial No. 567,615. Renewed July 23, 1913. Serial No. 780,813.

This invention relates to reduction gearing for transmitting power from high speed .engines or motors to apparatus operating at lower speeds.

An object of this invention is to produce a reduction gearing in which means are employed for distributing and equalizing the pressure on the teeth of the different lnterv meshing gears employed.

A further object is to produce a reduction gearing in which simple means are employed for counterbalancing, by fluid pressure, the strains in either direction due to j the tooth pressure between the intermeshing gears and in which simple means are employed for permitting relative angular motion between the intermeshing gears of the gearing.

Turbines operate most efficiently at relatively high speeds and ships propellers operate most efiiciently at relatively low speeds, consequently, in order to obtain the best efiiciency when turbines are employed in marine propulsion, it is necessary to employ a reduction gearing between the turbine and the propeller. To this end, I have provided a driving member which may be connected to the turbine shaft and from which power may be delivered by the turbine to a more slowly revolving shaft by means of a pinion or pair of pinions which may be journaled in a floating frame and which intermesh with a gear wheel or a pair of gear wheels. The floating frame is sup ported on the base frame or bed of the gearing device so that it is free to assume dilferent positions both in a horizontal or a vertical plane for the purpose of adjusting the position of the pinion shaft relative to the shaft of the gears and of thereby equalizing and equally distributing the tooth pressure along the teeth and between the different sets of intermeshing gears of the reduction gearing.

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the device as consisting of a spur gearing including a gear and an intermeshing pinion in which the pinion is journaled in a fluid supported floating frame which permits the pinion to assume dilferentangular positions relative to.the gear in response to variations of tooth pressure encountered, whereby the pressures are proportionately distributed.

In the apparatus illustrated as an embodiment of my invention, the pinion is shown as having two sets of oppositely disposed spiral teeth and thegear likewise has two corresponding sets of spiral teeth. The floating frame of the pinion is supported on fluid actuated pistons so arranged that the fluid pressure employed to counterbalance the tooth pressure between the intermeshing gears will be automatically controlled so that it varies with variations in the tooth pressure.

Further advantages, as well as novelty of construction, will be specifically described hereinafter, it being understood that changes in form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

. In the drawings accompanying this application and forming a part thereto, Figure 1 is a sectional view along the line 11 of Fig. 2 and shows the position of the fluid actuated supports, a pinion, a gear with which it meshes and a strut for holding the pinion and gear'in proper mesh; and Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings: The gear 3 is journaled in a base frame or bed 4 of any suitable form and meshes with a suitable pinion 5 journaled in a suitable floating frame 6. The base frame 4: is provided with a number of cylinders in which fluid actuated supporting pistons for the floating frame 6 are mounted.

In the apparatus illustrated, three cylinders, 7, 8, and 9 are employed and pistons 11, 12, and 13 are respectively mounted in the cylinders. The pistons 11 and 12 are termed the end supporting pistons and the piston-13 is termed the intermediate supporting piston of the series.

Each cylinder is double acting and each piston is provided with piston rod or pin 14: which is rigidly secured to it and which extends through a suitable packing gland or bushing in the cylinder head of its respective cylinder. Each pin 14 is provided with a flat circular or preferably an oval head 15 which fits snugly into an under-cut slot or way 16 provided in the floating frame. The ways 16 extend across the floating frame and are so arranged that each pin can he slid into place in its respectiveslot before the frame 6 is in place and the heads 15 will be securely held in place after the frame 6 is located in place.

that the oil pressure in all the cylinders above their respective pistons will be equalized by the passage 18 and be the same as the pressure in the passage 18. The intermediate cylinder 9'is provided with exhaust or discharge ports 19 and 21 which connects respectively with the cylinders below and above the piston 13. The inner end of each of these ports is so located that the piston 13 is capable of controlling the discharge of oil through them.

-Oil is pumped continuously'into the respective passages 17 and 18 through restricted orifices (not shown) and thence into the cylinders where it performs the function, through the agency of the pistons, of supporting the floating frame. The purpose of providing the ports 19- and 21 in the cylinder 9 is that the hydraulic pressure in the cylinders may be automatically varied in response to variations of tooth pressure between the intermeshing gears and pinions and so that the pistons 11, 12 and 13 will operate to exactly counterbalance the tooth pressures no matter in which direction the resulting strains may exist or how they may vary.

lVhen the pinion 5 is driven in a counter clockwise direction (Fig. 1) so as to drive the gear 3 in a clockwise direction, the tooth pressure between the intermeshing teeth will tend to force the pistons 11, 12, and 13 down and to decrease the flow of oil through the port 19. As the piston 13 moves down in response to this pressure, the flow of oil through the port 19 is decreased by it, and this causes the oil pressure in the cylinder 9, below the piston 13, to pile up, the pressure in all the cylinders consequently increases until it is suflicient to counterbalance the tooth pressure. If, while the pinion 5 is operating as described, the tooth pressure decreases the upward pressure of the pistons will preponderate for an instant and the p15- tons will rise in response to the preponderance, but in so doing, the piston 13 will increase the flow of oil through the port 19 and consequently cause a drop in pressure 1n the cylinders below the pistons. The pressure will continue to drop until the upward pressure on the pistons 1s reduced to such an extent that they again exactl counterbalance the downward resultant 0 the tooth pressure.

The end pistons are of the same area while, in the apparatus illustrated, the intermediate piston is about twice the area of either end piston since the greatest pressure resulting from the tooth pressure is encountered at this central point. The areasof the pistons and the oil pressures employed are so proportioned that the piston 13 can never be moved to either fully close the port 19 or the port 21, consequentlyf the topth pressure will always be counterbalanced y hydraulic 'or fluid pressure.

\Vhen the driving agent of the pinion 5 is reversed and the pinion is driven in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1) the tooth pressure is reversed and is transmitted to the pistons by a pull transmitted through the pins 14 Se cured to the pistons. These conditions will tend to lift the pistons and, by moving the v piston 13 into close proximity with the port 21 to restrict the flow of oil from the cylinder 9 through the port 21. As the piston 13 rises in response to the tooth pressure the flow of oil through the port 21 is gradually restricted until the pressure in the cylinders above their pistons is sufficient to counterbalance the pull on the pins 14 occasioned by the tooth pressure. The operation of the piston 13 relative to the port 21 is similar to its operation relative to the port 19 and the oil pressure in the cylinders above their pis tons will vary inresponse to variations of tooth pressure while the gearing is operating in the reverse direction.

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The double acting cylinders, cushion and of the reduction gearing (Fig. 2) would tend to exceed the tooth pressure between the intcrmeshing teeth at the. other end of the gearing, the piston 12 would then tend to assume a greater load than the piston 11. Such conditions, however, are impossible with the hydraulic system employed and tire length of the teeth.

In order to prevent horizontal angular movement of the floating frame and still permit suflicient angular movement in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the axes of the pinion and gear, I have provided, as illustrated in Fig. 1, a strut of which there may be any suitable number, projecting through the wall 24 of the base frame 4. The strut may conveniently consist of a hollow threaded member 25 adapted to receive a bar or pin 23 which engages a suitably located slot 26 provided in a' lateral face of the floating frame 6. The member 25 is threaded exteriorly to engage interior threads in the wall 24 of the base frame so that a micrometer adjustment may be made and the floating frame may be so adjusted with respect to the gear that a proper engagement of the teeth of the pinion and gear will be maintained, and, at the same time, vertical angular movement of the pinion relative to the plane of the axes 'of the pinion and gear will not be retarded.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, fluid actuated supports for said gears, and means for varying the operation of each of said supports to cause them to counterbalance the strains in either direction due to tooth pressure between the intermeshing gears.

2. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, and double acting fluid actuated supporting means for one of the intermeshing gears constructed to allow-relative motion between the intermeshing gears.

3. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, and double acting fluid actuated pistons for supporting one of said intermeshing gears and constructed to allow relative motion betweensaid gears.

4. In a transmission gearing, a gear, a pinion meshing therewith, and double acting fluid actuated supporting pistons constructed to allow relative motion between said gear and said pinion.

' 5. In a transmission gearing, a gear, a pinion, a fluid actuated supporting piston, and means for causing said piston to operate to coruter alance strains in either direction due to tooth pinion. 6. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, double acting cylinders, support pistons located in said cylinders and arranged to allow relative angular motion between pressure between said gear and said gears, a source of fluid supply for said cylinders, and means responsive to variations in the tooth pressure between the 1ntermeshing gears for varying the fluid pressure on said pistons.

7. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, a floatin frame for one of sand gears, a double acting fluid pressure cylmder for supporting said frame and for counterbalancing strains due to tooth pres sure between sald gears, and means responsive to variations of said tooth pressure for controlling the fluid presure in said cylinder.

8. In a transmission gearing, a gear, a pinion intermeshing therewith, a floating frame for said pinion, a double acting fluid pressure cylinder, a piston operating in said cylinder for supporting said frame and for counterbalancing strains due to tooth pres sure, and means controlled by said piston for varying the fluid pressure within said cylinder.

9. In a transmission gearing, a gear, a pinion meshing therewith, a floating frame for said pinion, fluid actuated pistons for supporting said frame, and means actuated by at least one of said pistons for causing the fluid in each of said cylinders to counterbalance strains on said frame in either direction. 7

10. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, a system of communicating cylinders, support pistons operating in said cylinders and adapted to permit relative angular motion between said gears, a source of fluid supply communicating with said cylinders below said pistons, a source of fluid supply communicating with cylinders above said pistons, and means responsive to variations in tooth pressure between the intermeshing gears for varying the fluid pressure in said cylinders above and below said pistons.

11. In combination with a pair of cooperating gears, means for supporting one of said gears comprising a cylinder, a doubleacting piston and fluid under pressure.

12. In combination with a pair of cooperating gears, a mounting frame for one of said gears and a support for said mounting frame comprising a cylinder, adouble-acting piston and fluid under pressure.

13. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, a frame on which one of said gears is mounted, means comprising pistons spaced apart for supporting said frame, a separate cylinder inclosing each piston, means for delivering fluid pressure to each end of each cylinder for controlling the operation of said pistons, and means controlled by the variations of tooth pressures between said gears for varying the amount and direction of the effective pressure transmitted by said pistons.

14. In, a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, a frame on which one of said gears is mounted, a plurality of pistons for supporting said frame, a separate cylinder inclosing each piston, means for delivering fluid pressure to each end of each cylinder, means for maintainin the pressures in the corresponding ends 0 the cylinders equal, and means for varying the pressure in said cylinders in response to variations in the tooth pressure between the gears.

15. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, a frame on which one of said gears is mounted, a plurality of pistons for supporting said frame, a separate cylinder for each piste-n, means for delivering fluid of equal pressure to each cylinder on the frame sides of the pistons, means for delivering fluid of equal pressure to each cylinder on the opposite sides of the pistons, and means responsive to variations in tooth pressure for varying the amount and the direction of the effective pressure within said cylinders.

16. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, a frame on which one of said gears is mounted, means comprising a plurality of double-acting pistons and cooperating cylinders for supporting said frame and for equalizing the tooth pressure along the teeth of said gears, and means responsive to variations. in the position of the frame for varying the amount and the directionof .gears, and means responsive to variations 1n the tooth pressure between said ears for varying the actuating pressure 0 the device to vary the amount and direction of the supporting pressure exerted by the device.

19. In a transmission gearing, intermeshing gears, means comprising a plurality of double-acting fluid actuated pistons for supporting one ofsaid gears and for equalizing the tooth pressure along the teeth of the gears, and means responsive to variations in the tooth pressure between the gears for varying the amount and the direction of the effective pressure exerted by the pistons on said supporting gear.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th dayof June,

GEO. WESTINGHOUSE. Witnesses:

C. W. MCGHEE, E. W. MCCALLISTER.

copies of thin patent may be obtained (or an cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

